Southern California Tern (1 Viewer)

[rwblackbird57]

Hello all,

Saw this tern today at a local beach in San Diego County.. Was a a bit smaller than the nearby Elegant Terns, maybe about the size of a Forster's (could be one). I'm sure the ID is obvious, but the slight sign of a crest combined with both its legs and bill being orange are throwing me off. Thanks for any help!

 

[Tiraya]

On the shape and appearance it is one of the larger royal/elegant rather than a tiny tern like Forster's. If it was Forster's (or common etc.) you'd say it was more than "a bit smaller" than elegant.

I'm out of practice with younger elegant/royal where bill details don't help as much so I'd hesitate to say which of the two it was.

 

[Jeff Hopkins]

Bill looks like a elegant.

 

[Nutcracker]

Elegant for me; definitely not Forster's.

 

[THE_FERN]

Hi folks are we sure this isn't a juv royal tern? Bill is thick with relatively pronounced gonydeal angle—no sign of the droop you'd expect from elegant; wing colour and crest all look like that species (royal) to me.

Cheers

F

 

[Nutcracker]

Hi folks are we sure this isn't a juv royal tern? Bill is thick with relatively pronounced gonydeal angle—no sign of the droop you'd expect from elegant; wing colour and crest all look like that species (royal) to me.

Cheers

F

Agree after 2nd look; juvenile Elegant has paler primaries and lacks the dark carpal bar this bird has :t:

 

[Simon Wates]

It looks a bit less beefy than I would expect but everything else says juv. Royal Tern

 

[Tiraya]

Speaking of these two turns had an interesting discussion on this short-billed bird recently: http://www.inaturalist.org/observations/1805148

Proves how useless bill details are at this sort of age.